take

take¹ W1S1 [teık] v past tense took [tuk] past participle taken [ˈteıkən]

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1¦(action)¦

2¦(move)¦

3¦(remove)¦

4¦(time/money/effort etc)¦

5¦(accept)¦

6¦(hold something)¦

7¦(travel)¦

8¦(study)¦

9¦(test)¦

10¦(suitable)¦

11¦(collect)¦

12¦(consider)¦

13¦(feelings)¦

14¦(control)¦

15¦(medicine/drugs)¦

16 do you take sugar/milk?

17¦(level)¦

18¦(measure)¦

19¦(numbers)¦

20¦(money)¦

21 somebody can take it or leave it

22 take somebody/something (for example)

23¦(teach)¦

24¦(write)¦

25 take somebody out of themselves

26 take a lot out of you/take it out of you

27 take it upon/on yourself to do something

28 take something to bits/pieces

29 be taken with/by something

30 be taken ill/sick

31¦(sex)¦

32 take a bend/fence/corner etc

33¦(have an effect)¦

Phrasal verbs

　be taken aback

　take after somebody

　take somebody/something apart

　take against somebody/something

　take somebody/something<=>away

　take away from something

　take somebody/something<=>back

　take something<=>down

　take somebody/something<=>in

　take off

　take somebody/something<=>on

　take somebody/something<=>out

　take something out on somebody

　take over

　take to somebody/something

　take something up

　take somebody up on something

　take up with somebody/something

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[Date: 1000-1100; : Old Norse; Origin: taka]

1.) ¦(ACTION)¦ [T]

used with a noun instead of using a verb to describe an action. For example, if you take a walk, you walk somewhere

▪ Would you like to take a look?

▪ Mike's just taking a shower.

▪ Sara took a deep breath.

▪ I waved, but he didn't take any notice (=pretended not to notice) . BrE

▪ Please take a seat (=sit down) .

take a picture/photograph/photo

▪ Would you mind taking a photo of us together?

2.) ¦(MOVE)¦ [T]

to move or go with someone or something from one place to another

≠ ↑bring take sb/sth to/into etc sth

▪ Barney took us to the airport.

▪ Would you mind taking Susie home ?

▪ When he refused to give his name, he was taken into custody.

▪ My job has taken me all over the world.

take sb/sth with you

▪ His wife went to Australia, taking the children with her.

take sb sth

▪ I have to take Steve the money tonight.

take sb to do sth

▪ He took me to meet his parents.

see usage note ↑bringsee usage note ↑direct²

3.) ¦(REMOVE)¦ [T]

to remove something from a place

take sth off/from etc sth

▪ Take your feet off the seats.

▪ Someone's taken a pen from my desk.

▪ Police say money and jewellery were taken in the raid.

→take away

4.) ¦(TIME/MONEY/EFFORT ETC)¦ [I and T]

if something takes a particular amount of time, money, effort etc, that amount of time etc is needed for it to happen or succeed

▪ How long is this going to take ?

▪ Organizing a successful street party takes a lot of energy.

take (sb) sth (to do sth)

▪ Repairs take time to carry out.

▪ It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark.

take (sb) ages/forever informal

▪ It took me ages to find a present for Dad.

take some doing

BrE informal (=need a lot of time or effort)

▪ Catching up four goals will take some doing.

take courage/guts

▪ It takes courage to admit you are wrong.

have what it takes informal (=to have the qualities that are needed for success)

▪ Neil's got what it takes to be a great footballer.

5.) ¦(ACCEPT)¦ [T]

to accept or choose something that is offered, suggested, or given to you

▪ Will you take the job?

▪ Do you take American Express?

▪ If you take my advice , you'll see a doctor.

▪ Our helpline takes 3.5 million calls (=telephone calls) a year.

▪ Some doctors are unwilling to take new patients without a referral.

▪ Liz found his criticisms hard to take .

▪ I just can't take any more (=can't deal with a bad situation any longer) .

▪ Staff have agreed to take a 2% pay cut.

take a hammering/beating

(=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation)

▪ Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.

I take your point/point taken

(=used to say that you accept someone's opinion)

take sb's word for it/take it from sb

(=accept that what someone says is true)

▪ That's the truth - take it from me .

take the credit/blame/responsibility

▪ He's the kind of man who makes things happen but lets others take the credit.

take it as read/given

(= ↑assumethat something is correct or certain, because you are sure that this is the case )

▪ It isn't official yet, but you can take it as read that you've got the contract.

6.) ¦(HOLD SOMETHING)¦ [T]

to get hold of something in your hands

▪ Let me take your coat.

▪ Can you take this package while I get my wallet?

take sb/sth in/by sth

▪ I just wanted to take him in my arms.

see usage note ↑hold¹

7.) ¦(TRAVEL)¦ [T]

to use a particular form of transport or a particular road in order to go somewhere

▪ Let's take a cab.

▪ I took the first plane out.

▪ Take the M6 to Junction 19.

8.) ¦(STUDY)¦ [T]

to study a particular subject in school or college for an examination

▪ Are you taking French next year?

9.) ¦(TEST)¦ [T]

to do an examination or test

British Equivalent: sit

▪ Applicants are asked to take a written test.

10.)¦(SUITABLE)¦ [T not in progressive or passive]

to be the correct or suitable size, type etc for a particular person or thing

▪ a car that takes low sulphur fuel

▪ What size shoe do you take?

▪ The elevator takes a maximum of 32 people.

11.) ¦(COLLECT)¦ [T]

to collect or gather something for a particular purpose

▪ Investigators will take samples of the wreckage to identify the cause.

take sth from sth

▪ The police took a statement from both witnesses.

12.) ¦(CONSIDER)¦ [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

to react to someone or something or consider them in a particular way

take sb/sth seriously/badly/personally etc

▪ I was joking, but he took me seriously.

▪ Ben took the news very badly.

▪ She does not take kindly to criticism (=reacts badly to criticism) .

take sth as sth

▪ I'll take that remark as a compliment.

take sth as evidence/proof (of sth)

▪ The presence of dust clouds has been taken as evidence of recent star formation.

take sb/sth to be sth

▪ I took her to be his daughter.

take sb/sth for sth

▪ Of course I won't tell anyone! What do you take me for? (=what sort of person do you think I am?)

▪ I take it (=Iassume) you've heard that Rick's resigned.

13.) ¦(FEELINGS)¦ [T usually + adverb]

to have or experience a particular feeling

take delight/pleasure/pride etc in (doing) sth

▪ You should take pride in your work.

▪ At first, he took no interest in the baby.

take pity on sb

▪ She stood feeling lost until an elderly man took pity on her.

take offence

(=feel offended)

▪ Don't take offence. Roger says things like that to everybody.

take comfort from/in (doing) sth

▪ Investors can take comfort from the fact that the World Bank is underwriting the shares.

14.) ¦(CONTROL)¦ [T]

to get possession or control of something

▪ Enemy forces have taken the airport.

▪ Both boys were taken prisoner.

take control/charge/power

▪ The communists took power in 1948.

▪ Youngsters need to take control of their own lives.

take the lead

(=in a race, competition etc)

15.) ¦(MEDICINE/DRUGS)¦ [T]

to swallow, breathe in, ↑inject etc a drug or medicine

▪ The doctor will ask whether you are taking any medication.

▪ Take two tablets before bedtime.

take drugs

(=take illegal drugs)

▪ Most teenagers start taking drugs through boredom.

▪ She took an overdose after a row with her boyfriend.

16.) do you take sugar/milk?

spoken BrE used to ask someone whether they like to have sugar or milk in a drink such as tea or coffee

17.) ¦(LEVEL)¦ [T always + adverb/preposition]

to make someone or something go to a higher level or position

take sth to/into sth

▪ The latest raise takes his salary into six figures.

▪ Even if you have the talent to take you to the top , there's no guarantee you'll get there.

▪ If you want to take it further , you should consult an attorney.

18.) ¦(MEASURE)¦ [T]

to measure the amount, level, rate etc of something

▪ Take the patient's pulse first.

19.) ¦(NUMBERS)¦ [T]

to make a number smaller by a particular amount

= ↑subtract take sth away/take sth (away) from sth

▪ 'Take four from nine and what do you get?' 'Five.'

▪ Ten take away nine equals one.

20.)¦(MONEY)¦ [T]

BrE if a shop, business etc takes a particular amount of money, it receives that amount of money from its customers

American Equivalent: take in

▪ The stall took £25 on Saturday.

21.) sb can take it or leave it

a) to neither like nor dislike something

▪ To some people, smoking is addictive. Others can take it or leave it.

b) used to say that you do not care whether someone accepts your offer or not

22.) take sb/sth (for example)

used to give an example of something you have just been talking about

▪ People love British cars. Take the Mini. In Japan, it still sells more than all the other British cars put together.

23.) ¦(TEACH)¦ [T]

BrE to teach a particular group of students in a school or college

take sb for sth

▪ Who takes you for English?

24.) ¦(WRITE)¦ [T]

to write down information

▪ Let me take your email address.

▪ Sue offered to take notes .

25.) take sb out of themselves

BrE to make someone forget their problems and feel more confident

▪ Alf said joining the club would take me out of myself.

26.) take a lot out of you/take it out of you

to make you very tired

▪ Looking after a baby really takes it out of you.

27.) take it upon/on yourself to do sth

formal to decide to do something without getting someone's permission or approval first

▪ Reg took it upon himself to hand the press a list of names.

28.) take sth to bits/pieces

BrE to separate something into its different parts

▪ how to take an engine to bits

29.) be taken with/by sth

to be attracted by a particular idea, plan, or person

▪ I'm quite taken by the idea of Christmas in Berlin.

30.) be taken ill/sick

formal to suddenly become ill

31.) ¦(SEX)¦ [T]

literary if a man takes someone, he has sex with them

32.) take a bend/fence/corner etc

to try to get over or around something in a particular way

▪ He took the bend at over 60 and lost control.

33.) ¦(HAVE AN EFFECT)¦

if a treatment, ↑dye, drug etc takes, it begins to work successfully

be taken aback [i]phr v

to be very surprised about something

▪ Emma was somewhat taken aback by his directness.

take after [take after sb] phr v

to look or behave like an older relative

▪ Jenni really takes after her mother.

take apart [take sb/sth apart] phr v

1.) to separate something into all its different parts

≠ ↑put together

▪ Tom was always taking things apart in the garage.

2.) to search a place very thoroughly

▪ The police took the house apart looking for clues.

3.) to beat someone very easily in a game, sport, fight etc

4.) to show that someone is wrong or something is not true

▪ Tariq takes several gay myths apart in his book.

take against / [take against sb/sth] phr v

to begin to dislike someone or something, especially without a good reason

▪ Voters took against the relationship between the government and the unions in the 1970s.

take away [take sb/sth<=>away] phr v

1.) to remove someone or something, or make something disappear

▪ She whisked the tray off the table and took it away.

▪ He was taken away to begin a prison sentence.

▪ This should take some of the pain away.

2.) to take away

BrE if you buy food to take away, you buy cooked food from a restaurant and take it outside to eat it somewhere else

→↑takeaway

▪ Fish and chips to take away, please.

3.) take your breath away

to be very beautiful, exciting, or surprising

take away from [take away from sth] phr v

to spoil the good effect or success that something has

▪ The disagreement between the two men should not take away from their accomplishments.

take back [take sb/sth<=>back] phr v

1.) take sth<=>back

to admit that you were wrong to say something

▪ You'd better take back that remark!

2.) take sth<=>back

to take something you have bought back to a shop because it is not suitable

▪ If the shirt doesn't fit, take it back.

3.) to make you remember a time in the past

▪ Having the grandchildren around takes me back to the days when my own children were small.

take down [take sth<=>down] phr v

1.) to move something that is fixed in a high position to a lower position

▪ She made us take down all the posters.

2.) to write down information

▪ Can I just take some details down?

3.) to pull a piece of clothing such as trousers part of the way down your legs

take in [take sb/sth<=>in] phr v

1.) be taken in

to be completely deceived by someone who lies to you

▪ Don't be taken in by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week.

2.) take sb<=>in

to let someone stay in your house because they have nowhere else to stay

▪ Brett's always taking in stray animals.

3.) take sth<=>in

to understand and remember new facts and information

= ↑absorb

▪ He watches the older kids, just taking it all in.

▪ His eyes quickly took in the elegance of her dress.

4.) take sth<=>in

AmE to collect or earn a particular amount of money

British Equivalent: take

5.) to visit a place while you are in the area

▪ They continued a few miles further to take in Hinton House.

6.) AmE old-fashioned if you take in a show, play etc, you go to see it

7.) take sb<=>in

BrE old-fashioned if the police take someone in, they take them to a police station to ask them questions about a crime

▪ All five teenagers were arrested and taken in for questioning .

8.) take sth<=>in

to make a piece of clothing fit you by making it narrower

≠ ↑let out

take off phr v

1.) ¦(REMOVE)¦

take sth<=>off

to remove a piece of clothing

≠ ↑put on

▪ He sat on the bed to take his boots off.

▪ Charlie was taking off his shirt when the phone rang.

2.) ¦(AIRCRAFT)¦

if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air from the ground

= ↑lift off

→↑takeoff

▪ I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow.

3.) ¦(SUCCESS)¦

to suddenly start being successful

▪ Mimi became jealous when Jack's career started taking off .

4.) ¦(HOLIDAY)¦

take sth off (sth)

to have a holiday from work on a particular day, or for a particular length of time

take time off (work/school)

▪ I rang my boss and arranged to take some time off.

take a day/the afternoon etc off

▪ Dad took the day off to come with me.

5.) ¦(COPY SOMEBODY)¦

take sb<=>off

BrE informal to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, in order to entertain people

take on [take sb/sth<=>on] phr v

1.) take sb<=>on

to start to employ someone

→↑hire

▪ We're taking on 50 new staff this year.

2.) take sth<=>on

to agree to do some work or be responsible for something

▪ Don't take on too much work - the extra cash isn't worth it.

3.) take sth<=>on

to begin to have a particular quality or appearance

▪ Her face took on a fierce expression.

▪ His life had taken on a new dimension.

4.) take sb<=>on

to compete against someone or start a fight with someone, especially someone bigger or better than you

▪ Nigeria will take on Argentina in the first round of the World Cup on Saturday.

▪ He was prepared to take on anyone who laid a finger on us.

5.) take sth<=>on

if a plane or ship takes on people or things, they come onto it

▪ We stopped to take on fuel.

take out [take sb/sth<=>out] phr v

1.) take sb<=>out

to take someone as your guest to a restaurant, cinema, club etc

take somebody<=>out for

▪ We're taking my folks out for a meal next week.

2.) take sth<=>out

to make a financial or legal arrangement with a bank, company, law court etc

take out a policy/injunction/loan etc

▪ Before taking a loan out, calculate your monthly outgoings.

3.) take sth<=>out

to get money from your bank account

= ↑withdraw

▪ How much would you like to take out?

4.) take sth<=>out

to borrow books from a library

▪ You can take out six books at a time.

5.) take sb/sth<=>out informal

to kill someone or destroy something

▪ The building was taken out by a bomb.

take out on [take sth out on sb] phr v

to treat someone badly when you are angry or upset, even though it is not their fault

▪ Don't take it out on me just because you've had a bad day.

take your anger/frustration etc out on sb

▪ Irritated with herself, she took her annoyance out on Bridget.

take over phr v

to take control of something

→↑takeover take sth<=>over

▪ His only reason for investing in the company was to take it over.

▪ Ruth moved into our apartment and promptly took over.

take to / [take to sb/sth] phr v

1.) to start to like someone or something

▪ Sandra took to it straight away .

▪ Charles was an odd character whom Kelly had never really taken to.

2.) to start doing something regularly

take to doing sth

▪ Dee's taken to getting up at 6 and going jogging.

3.) take to your bed

to get into your bed and stay there

▪ He was so depressed, he took to his bed for a week.

take up [take sth up] phr v

1.) take sth<=>up

to become interested in a new activity and to spend time doing it

▪ Roger took painting up for a while, but soon lost interest.

2.) to start a new job or have a new responsibility

▪ Peter will take up the management of the finance department.

take up a post/a position/duties etc

▪ The headteacher takes her duties up in August.

3.) take sth<=>up

if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it

▪ Now the papers have taken up the story.

take something<=>up with

▪ The hospital manager has promised to take the matter up with the member of staff involved.

▪ I am still very angry and will be taking it up with the authorities.

4.) to fill a particular amount of time or space

be taken up with sth

▪ The little time I had outside of school was taken up with work.

take up space/room

▪ old books that were taking up space in the office

5.) take sth<=>up

to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea

▪ Rob took up the invitation to visit.

take up the challenge/gauntlet

▪ Rick took up the challenge and cycled the 250 mile route alone.

6.) to move to the exact place where you should be, so that you are ready to do something

▪ The runners are taking up their positions on the starting line.

7.) take sth<=>up

to make a piece of clothing shorter

≠ ↑let down

8.) take sth<=>up

to continue a story or activity that you or someone else had begun, after a short break

▪ I'll take up the story where you left off.

take up on [take sb up on sth] phr v

to accept an invitation or suggestion

take sb up on an offer/a promise/a suggestion etc

▪ I'll take you up on that offer of a drink, if it still stands.

take up with / [take up with sb/sth] phr v

old-fashioned to become friendly with someone, especially someone who may influence you badly

take ²

take² n

1.)

an occasion when a film scene, song, action etc is recorded

▪ We had to do six takes for this particular scene.

2.) sb's take (on sth)

someone's opinion about a situation or idea

▪ What's your take on this issue?

3.) be on the take informal

to be willing to do something wrong in return for money

▪ Is it true that some of the generals are on the take?

4.) [usually singular] AmE informal the amount of money earned by a shop or business in a particular period of time